The New York Fiberscape Dress is finally complete! This was my first time making a garment entirely out of my hand-spun yarns, and it took a lot of determination and patience. I was motivated to work on it even though it was very labor intensive (over 800 yards of yarn plus hand-knitting!) because I was able…
Tag: love
Honey Bees & Knitwear Design
Lately I’ve been very interested in learning more about honey bees. I was inspired after learning how to do the honeycomb diamond knitting pattern last December. These are some things I’ve learned so far… Their Lives Honeybees are very dependent on each other for survival in a matriarchal society led by the Queen Bee, who is the…
Little York Fiber Festival in NY!
It was great to visit the Little York Fiber Festival at the Cortland Repertory Theatre today. There were a variety of artisan, fiber farm, and mill entrepreneur vendors with a diversity of fibers from sheep, alpacas, llamas, and angora rabbits. Special thanks to Linda Schwab for introducing me to Margaret Flowers, fiber artisan and fiber farmer at Trinity Farm with…
L.A.’s Natural Appeal
One of the things I love about coming home to Los Angeles is appreciating the contributions my mami and papi make to the natural aesthetics of Los Angeles. Their garden is deeply inspirational as it embodies a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. It emanates visual, tactile, and olfactory senses that instills happiness and delight for…
Soil to Skin Rebecca Burgess’ 150 Mile Wardrobe
The Fibershed project in Northern California has been extremely motivational for me, especially since it has inspired my Master’s thesis. I have explored fiber farm and mill resources in New York, and received consumer feedback about NY “fibershed” knitwear. (An official “fibershed” has not been established in NY, but it definitely has the resources.) It is amazing to see…
Personality Characteristics of Hand-Knit Sweaters
I was excited to make this word cloud that represents personality descriptions of hand-knit sweaters (cashmere, alpaca, wool). It is based on responses from 200 women in New York. It is great to consider the different words people use to describe a sweater as it if were a real human being with a personality. It’s not something we usually consider…
Fiber Artisanry with Local Fibers
I’m excited to show one of the first knit and crochet accessories I made from 100% hand spun yarns. I previously wrote about the NY fleece origins here and about my process of learning to spin here. I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn how to make my own yarns at Knitting Etc. because I can expand my creativity…
Salvadorean Pride: Understanding Symbolism
2014 will be the 193rd celebration of independence for Salvadorean and several Central American countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. On September 15, 1821 these countries collectively proclaimed independence from Spain. Although El Salvador has not fully recovered from the devastating Civil War of the 1980s, it is important to consider El Salvador’s…
Hand-spun New York Yarns
Excited to make something from my yarns! They are predominantly wool with some alpaca and cashmere blends. They were hand-spun on a drop-spindle, and are 3-ply yarns. The roving was sourced from the Laughing Goat Fiber Farm and Spot Hollow Farm in New York. The yarns were made during the second half of 2013 and I just…
Embracing Local Cultures of Dress- Small Exhibit
Local production of clothes has been integral to several cultures throughout time. This exhibit focused on comparing Navajo traditional, local cultures of dress and textiles, with the American Fibershed project that is creating “local” cultures of dress as part of the larger sustainable fashion movement. The Fibershed project in Northern California was established in 2011 by…
Amazing Fibershed Symposium 2013!
I went to the Fibershed Annual Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium in Point Reyes Station, CA last weekend Sat Nov 16. I was very excited to see a wide range of people from different professions including University professors to fiber farmers and artisans. Presentations can be seen here. If you are interested in agricultural sustainability, or care…
Adding Value to Care Labels
Clothing tags can often be ignored or cut off after we determine the ideal way to wash/ dry our clothes. Including information about production processes, environmental, and social responsibility is one way companies are giving greater value to care labels. Below we see examples of care tags created by Leafcutter Designs in California. These labels can…
Finished Cashmere Sweater and Memories
I finally finished the cashmere sweater that I mentioned in a previous post. The stitches in this sweater have so many memories and I am so happy that I can reflect back on the time I spent preparing the yarn and knitting. I began working on it in June and finished in August 2013 and it…
Hand-Spinning with Meaningful Fibers
I am very excited about this post because it contributes to my interest in New York’s Fibershed. I am taking a spinning class and am very excited to make my first yarn from Spot Hollow Farm roving, which is in Trumansburg, NY. I think it is especially charming how Shepherdess Marie comments about the sheep’s names on her Facebook page and states…
From Watershed to Fibershed
“Fibershed” is a term coined by Rebecca Burgess, it represents regional fiber resources from plants and animals such as sheep, goat, or alpaca, manufacturing mills that process raw fibers into clothing, and a local market. To understand this term, it is helpful to consider better known watersheds, bodies of water that link up to larger bodies…
HELEN TREJO 